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Since when is anyone trying to make Sherwood or Shenandoah walkable, which it already is, there's just nothing to walk to in the neighborhood.
Those areas are clearly auto-centric but much of inner city isn't, no one is focusing on putting sidewalks up and down Choctaw, or install crosswalks on Greenwell Springs. I'm curious as to why you focused on the suburban parts of BR, which no one is trying to change.
Also, the improvements in places like Mid-City isn't supposed to attract BR natives but LSU and SU graduates and other young professionals to to produce a younger professional workforce to spur economic development. A neighborhood gets sidewalks and the others get angry? Do people in Central agree with Staring being extended? This is no pool party, everyone is not satisfied.
Some people (like you) will never understand the concept of a car city. The parts of the town that would be walkable are already fairly walkable. The vast majority of this town was developed after the invention of the automobile. You will not make any place walkable if there is no place to walk to, you will just be throwing money away. It is good to try to improve where you can (i.e. the core of the city) and that is happening. It is wasteful and irrisponsible to spend a bunch of money trying to make someplace like Sherwood Forest or Shenandoah walkable. The problem with some of you people is that you think you know more about this town than the people who have lived here their entire lives. We know what will work, we know what won't. It is not worth blowing our tax dollars to try to be more like (insert name of a trendy city here). I think we Baton Rougeans are very realistic people. We don't run on butterflies and pixie dust, we run on what we know. There have been times when the city spend millions to install sidewalks in some areas that are practically never used. If you would like to fund a comprehensive program for sidewalks in areas where it is obvious they will not be used, be my guest. I, however, would prefer to see my money going to sewer repairs, new schools and firestations, parks, and economic development. Yes I agree sidewalks/bike lanes should be an important part of improving the city core. But if you focus on that, and spend all of the (very limited) monies there to make sidewalks appear almost overnight, what do you tell the residents of the vast neighborhoods outside of the central core who do not benefit from that investment? You could go and put sidewalks where they are, but they won't be able to use them where they are. So what do you want them to do? Abandon their life and home and move to someplace more walkable like mid-city? Optimism is great but you have got to be realistic!
Honestly, I really couldn't care less if Baton Rouge becomes a walkable city or not. The day I graduate from LSU I am moving out of this backwards town back to NOLA. But, of course, that's what everyone in this town wants...for every talented, young, forward-thinking, progressive, person to leave for better environments and opportunities. No, BR would rather stick to what it knows and stay a stagnant, aging city as long as possible.
It's not about being realistic...it's about actually having the vision of what a place could really be. It's about stopping the brain drain to other cities in the South. It's about stopping the drain of people from EBR to Ascension and Livingston. It's about making a city that actually has SOME sense of character.
No one is trying to make BR like some other trendy city (I didn't realize sidewalks were "trendy," back home in NOLA that's what we grow up riding our bikes on?). People (not just me and anyone on this forum but the city government itself...see FUTUREBR Plan) are trying to make BR a better place for its citizens to call home. While you sit in your subdivision out in the suburbs, a new generation of people are moving forward new ideas about how BR can be better. It amazes me how many people in BR hate when the government wants to spend tax dollars yet they ALL complain about the traffic or whatever it is they want to complain about next. It's called infrastructure improvement, and it is necessary to progress as a city.
And last, yes I may be a newcomer to Baton Rouge, but I have lived here for 3 years and I have paid taxes in this city for 3 years. I also live in the "inner city" of Baton Rouge. I venture downtown to support businesses and visit museums. I choose to support local BR businesses whenever I can.
What have any of you done to help BR, besides say "we can't change...we can't do that it's not our culture"?
Since when is anyone trying to make Sherwood or Shenandoah walkable, which it already is, there's just nothing to walk to in the neighborhood.
Those areas are clearly auto-centric but much of inner city isn't, no one is focusing on putting sidewalks up and down Choctaw, or install crosswalks on Greenwell Springs. I'm curious as to why you focused on the suburban parts of BR, which no one is trying to change.
Also, the improvements in places like Mid-City isn't supposed to attract BR natives but LSU and SU graduates and other young professionals to to produce a younger professional workforce to spur economic development. A neighborhood gets sidewalks and the others get angry? Do people in Central agree with Staring being extended? This is no pool party, everyone is not satisfied.
Are sidewalks your only argument?
Because people talk about BATON ROUGE and these types of places make up the majority of the majority of BATON ROUGE. When you say people in BATON ROUGE are resistant to change and don't want to be open to walking places, that is an all inclusive statement. The majority of Baton Rouge's population lives in autocentric places. Alot of the people you see driving SUV's around the city core actually live in suburban type areas. People who live in the city core are more likely to walk places because they have the ability to walk places.
The city core is already decently walkable, I just wouldn't recommend walking in alot of areas because it isn't safe. Where my business is I am able to walk alot of places, and I do when the weather is good enough for it. But when I go home to an auto-centric area, I can't walk to dinner, or to the movies, to the grocery, to the post office, or anywhere really except for blocks and blocks of neighbors houses. People who live in those areas would walk some places if it were possible, they just know it isn't. The neighborhood is there and established, sometimes with sidewalks, more often without. Nothing practical amount of money would be able to make it into a walkable area. So question is why do some people think they have the right, or the authority, to call their mindset into question?
And no. Sidewalks aren't my only argument. Sidewalks are what I'm talking about right now, though. Is there a problem with that, too?
Honestly, I really couldn't care less if Baton Rouge becomes a walkable city or not. The day I graduate from LSU I am moving out of this backwards town back to NOLA. But, of course, that's what everyone in this town wants...for every talented, young, forward-thinking, progressive, person to leave for better environments and opportunities. No, BR would rather stick to what it knows and stay a stagnant, aging city as long as possible.
It's not about being realistic...it's about actually having the vision of what a place could really be. It's about stopping the brain drain to other cities in the South. It's about stopping the drain of people from EBR to Ascension and Livingston. It's about making a city that actually has SOME sense of character.
No one is trying to make BR like some other trendy city (I didn't realize sidewalks were "trendy," back home in NOLA that's what we grow up riding our bikes on?). People (not just me and anyone on this forum but the city government itself...see FUTUREBR Plan) are trying to make BR a better place for its citizens to call home. While you sit in your subdivision out in the suburbs, a new generation of people are moving forward new ideas about how BR can be better. It amazes me how many people in BR hate when the government wants to spend tax dollars yet they ALL complain about the traffic or whatever it is they want to complain about next. It's called infrastructure improvement, and it is necessary to progress as a city.
And last, yes I may be a newcomer to Baton Rouge, but I have lived here for 3 years and I have paid taxes in this city for 3 years. I also live in the "inner city" of Baton Rouge. I venture downtown to support businesses and visit museums. I choose to support local BR businesses whenever I can.
What have any of you done to help BR, besides say "we can't change...we can't do that it's not our culture"?
A) Baton Rouge is not stagnant. Far from it actually.
B) With a personality like yours, no amount of money you can earn with your degree would make me want you around me. That would take a serious attitude adjustment. I'd rather have an uneducated hillbilly as my neighbor as long as he didn't look down on me because I don't buy into all of his ideas.
C) Baton Rouge has loads of character, and more people are moving here now than they were ten years ago. White flight has definitely slowed. At this point I'm not really worried about Baton Rouge becoming the next Detroit, that is, unless it bankrupts itself on idiotic projects that will never work out.
D) Vision? I think we have vision. We have alot of vision on how to improve the areas of our city that need improving. I think you probably know at least a little about the FutureEBR plan, and the things it calls for in parts of the city where it is smart and economical to apply those things.
E) I don't live in the Suburbs. I live in Old Goodwood. What on Earth are you talking about?
F) I don't know about the people you are referring to, but I definitely don't hate when the government spends my tax dollars. I love when they spend it on things that are: important, practical, useful. I love the new fire station built down the road from my house. I love the new town square going up downtown. I love the Green Light projects. I actually LOVE when my tax dollars get spent, so long as it is for something smart. There are some projects that some people call for that are extremely not smart. It would not be smart to tell people who live in large subdivisions (which is most of the population here in this auto centric city) that they are ignorant and have the wrong mindset, and that they need to walk more places. Wouldn't it make sense that those people would prefer to see their tax dollars spend on things they will be able to utilize, such as schools, roads, sewer improvements, and fire stations?
G) I could go on and on about everything I've done to help Baton Rouge during my 50 years in the region (over 30 in city), but I'm afraid it would be much more than I could list right here. Some include: renovating an historic building for use in my business, and bringing "new life" to a blighted area of town (others have followed suit), being active and constantly staying on Tara Wicker's case to follow through on different promises she has made for District 10, being an active part of the schools my children attended, donating X amount of dollars to various charities and non-profits in the city, serving on the board of directors of several non-profit organizations, restoring several historic housing units in the same neighborhood as my business, paying out of pocket to make some sidewalk repairs near my properties, and I could go on and on. I don't mean to brag, but I have certainly done more for my city than alot of the "new generation of people with new ideas", so how dare some people accuse me and others like me of being ignorant, opposed to progress, etc.
Change is change, but it needs to be done in a smart way. You and your three years here can take it from me and my fifty, there are some things that simply will not work in Baton Rouge, no matter how reasonable it may be, no matter how well it worked somewhere else. You could drop millions on it, but that doesn't mean it will be utilized or successful. It's a tough thing to hear, and tougher to accept, but it is the truth.
Because people talk about BATON ROUGE and these types of places make up the majority of the majority of BATON ROUGE. When you say people in BATON ROUGE are resistant to change and don't want to be open to walking places, that is an all inclusive statement. The majority of Baton Rouge's population lives in autocentric places. Alot of the people you see driving SUV's around the city core actually live in suburban type areas. People who live in the city core are more likely to walk places because they have the ability to walk places.
The city core is already decently walkable, I just wouldn't recommend walking in alot of areas because it isn't safe. Where my business is I am able to walk alot of places, and I do when the weather is good enough for it. But when I go home to an auto-centric area, I can't walk to dinner, or to the movies, to the grocery, to the post office, or anywhere really except for blocks and blocks of neighbors houses. People who live in those areas would walk some places if it were possible, they just know it isn't. The neighborhood is there and established, sometimes with sidewalks, more often without. Nothing practical amount of money would be able to make it into a walkable area. So question is why do some people think they have the right, or the authority, to call their mindset into question?
And no. Sidewalks aren't my only argument. Sidewalks are what I'm talking about right now, though. Is there a problem with that, too?
I don't understand your logic. Again, no one is trying to change the suburbs or suburban parts of the city. And you mentioned crime in inner city, you mentioned change as well, with positive investment, crime diminishes.
Just because YOU live in an auto-centric part of the city doesn't mean they want to change your neighborhood. An unrealistic amount of capital would have to be invested to make Glen Oaks (for example) walkable or your part of town.
A) Baton Rouge is not stagnant. Far from it actually.
B) With a personality like yours, no amount of money you can earn with your degree would make me want you around me. That would take a serious attitude adjustment. I'd rather have an uneducated hillbilly as my neighbor as long as he didn't look down on me because I don't buy into all of his ideas.
C) Baton Rouge has loads of character, and more people are moving here now than they were ten years ago. White flight has definitely slowed. At this point I'm not really worried about Baton Rouge becoming the next Detroit, that is, unless it bankrupts itself on idiotic projects that will never work out.
D) Vision? I think we have vision. We have alot of vision on how to improve the areas of our city that need improving. I think you probably know at least a little about the FutureEBR plan, and the things it calls for in parts of the city where it is smart and economical to apply those things.
E) I don't live in the Suburbs. I live in Old Goodwood. What on Earth are you talking about?
F) I don't know about the people you are referring to, but I definitely don't hate when the government spends my tax dollars. I love when they spend it on things that are: important, practical, useful. I love the new fire station built down the road from my house. I love the new town square going up downtown. I love the Green Light projects. I actually LOVE when my tax dollars get spent, so long as it is for something smart. There are some projects that some people call for that are extremely not smart. It would not be smart to tell people who live in large subdivisions (which is most of the population here in this auto centric city) that they are ignorant and have the wrong mindset, and that they need to walk more places. Wouldn't it make sense that those people would prefer to see their tax dollars spend on things they will be able to utilize, such as schools, roads, sewer improvements, and fire stations?
G) I could go on and on about everything I've done to help Baton Rouge during my 50 years in the region (over 30 in city), but I'm afraid it would be much more than I could list right here. Some include: renovating an historic building for use in my business, and bringing "new life" to a blighted area of town (others have followed suit), being active and constantly staying on Tara Wicker's case to follow through on different promises she has made for District 10, being an active part of the schools my children attended, donating X amount of dollars to various charities and non-profits in the city, serving on the board of directors of several non-profit organizations, restoring several historic housing units in the same neighborhood as my business, paying out of pocket to make some sidewalk repairs near my properties, and I could go on and on. I don't mean to brag, but I have certainly done more for my city than alot of the "new generation of people with new ideas", so how dare some people accuse me and others like me of being ignorant, opposed to progress, etc.
Change is change, but it needs to be done in a smart way. You and your three years here can take it from me and my fifty, there are some things that simply will not work in Baton Rouge, no matter how reasonable it may be, no matter how well it worked somewhere else. You could drop millions on it, but that doesn't mean it will be utilized or successful. It's a tough thing to hear, and tougher to accept, but it is the truth.
1. I find Baton Rouge to be incredibly stagnant. There are 2 definitions to stagnant. The traditional one is that it has not improved since a previous period of time. That's the definition you are using. Obviously it has improved technologically and racially since the 1960s.
The other definition of stagnant is when you use it in comparison to other similar sized locales in the US. It's impossible to compare BR to NYC, LA, or Chicago. But BR can easily be compared to Sacramento, Nashville, and I find a lot of people from BR compare it to Austin.
BR has a road network that mimics the 1930's Dust Bowl. The utility systems are circa the Tennesee Valley Authority 1960; every time it thundered it seemed the power went out. The sewer system reeks. Compare to Sacramento, Nashville, and Austin. Then look at the lack of a cohesive downtown, public transit, jobs.
BR was the leader per capita in job creation. What they don't tell you is that Louisiana ranked 49th for jobs that require skills. Translation: Almost 50% of the jobs in Louisiana, largely created by BR, are minimum wage with no real promotional advancement opportunities.
There is perhaps a 3rd definition of stagnant. The lack of change regarding one's lifestyle. BR is a great place if you enjoy doing the same things week after week year after year. LSU football immediately comes to mind. People have done the same thing every Saturday (tailgate AM, tailgate afternoon, game PM) in the Fall for their entire lives.
There isn't much going on outside LSU and numerous outdoor activities. Other than LSU football 8 weeks a year, there isn't much in the way of actual sales tax producing things for people to spend their money on. There's no major upscale shopping centers where people can walk around, eat, drink, have fun. Check out the Grove in West Hollywood, CA.
2. BR does have character. But it is one character. LSU football, hunting, fishing, outdoor stuff. I noticed a lot of people who grew up in small towns love BR because to them it's a big city. But again, compare to similarly sized locales, it doesn't offer much.
For population, obviously greater BRs population has increased. Katrina. The city hasn't really grown at all. You aren't bringing in a lot of capital from other states or regions.
3. Vision: There is vision from many different groups, but nothing ever gets done. The proposal to build shops and restaurants and upscale type things up and down Nicholson between LSU and Downtown was shuttered. The roads would have been repaved, a trolley built, and tons of good jobs and tax revenue would flow in each year. REJECTED.
The downtown project. REJECTED.
The other part of the proposal to resurface roads, actually sync traffic lights (again very 1950s era not to have these), would have saved residents in the long run because they wouldn't be burning gas sitting at traffic lights forever and driving on almost gravel. REJECTED.
Instead, the community chose to focus on screaming about how gays/lesbians shouldn't be treated equally in BR.
"3. Vision: There is vision from many different groups, but nothing ever gets done. The proposal to build shops and restaurants and upscale type things up and down Nicholson between LSU and Downtown was shuttered. The roads would have been repaved, a trolley built, and tons of good jobs and tax revenue would flow in each year. REJECTED.
The downtown project. REJECTED. "
We couldn't support that right now or 10 years ago without pulling more industries and people here. Which downtown project are you referring to?
Honestly, I really couldn't care less if Baton Rouge becomes a walkable city or not. The day I graduate from LSU I am moving out of this backwards town back to NOLA. But, of course, that's what everyone in this town wantsenvironments and opportunities. No, BR would rather stick to what it knows and stay a stagnant, aging city as long as possible.
It's not about being realistic...it's about actually having the vision of what a place could really be. It's about stopping the brain drain to other cities in the South. It's about stopping the drain of people from EBR to Ascension and Livingston. It's about making a city that actually has SOME sense of character.
No one is trying to make BR like some other trendy city (I didn't realize sidewalks were "trendy," back home in NOLA that's what we grow up riding our bikes on?). People (not just me and anyone on this forum but the city government itself...see FUTUREBR Plan) are trying to make BR a better place for its citizens to call home. While you sit in your subdivision out in the suburbs, a new generation of people are moving forward new ideas about how BR can be better. It amazes me how many people in BR hate when the government wants to spend tax dollars yet they ALL complain about the traffic or whatever it is they want to complain about next. It's called infrastructure improvement, and it is necessary to progress as a city.
And last, yes I may be a newcomer to Baton Rouge, but I have lived here for 3 years and I have paid taxes in this city for 3 years. I also live in the "inner city" of Baton Rouge. I venture downtown to support businesses and visit museums. I choose to support local BR businesses whenever I can.
What have any of you done to help BR, besides say "we can't change...we can't do that it's not our culture"?
If BR is so bad why did you come up here to go to school ? You sure think a lot of Yourself(...thinkfor every talented, young, forward-ing, progressive, )
Anybody else notice the increase in anti Baton Rouge trolls lately ? And is it just a coincidence that most of them hail from the same city ?
...I'm starting to read this board more and I haven't noticed any of the true trolls being from the same city. On the other hand there are a handful of New Orleans posters on this forum that share their opinions on Baton Rouge, one who could be a troll. So let me know exactly what you're getting at before I come to that assumption. If got it wrong ignore post, if not then you're only giving the other posts life by doing exactly what they describe.
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